We were initially meeting Each One Teach One on the 2nd of October, by the lake. The open and spacious room made us feel at ease and prompted us to engage easily. It was informal and a cordial cultural dialogue. We started by familiarising ourselves with some basic greetings and phrases in Persian, and Alijon with some Spanish phrases. Our common language was English, and we were able to comprehend each other.
Other than acquiring words, I have learned that language is linked to culture. The experience of reading about Tajikistan and seeing photos of the country through Alijon made me know about the lifestyle and climate of his country. It also opened my eyes to the fact that learning a language means getting into the world of another person as well.
My first thought about Persian was that I was afraid of saying its sounds, but a good environment gave me a chance to feel better. I also observed my listening and confidence improvement, despite having an imperfect pronunciation. Though we were to practice on a full sentence basis, we concentrated more on introductions and learning to know one another, which proved so positive.
This encounter taught me that learning language occurs best in casual and real-life situations and that the real interest achieved a natural, meaningful and enjoyable learning and teaching experience.
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